Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Nate Crosby and Ben McCool are just raw and gritty as they hammer a comic with a bunch of Russian sleeper agents activated from Cuba with intent to overthrow the US government. These mercs or killers or whatever they evolved into by now are brutal and gruesome as they make a pit stop at a prison to destroy some Nazis. It’s Inglorious Basterds meets Mark Millar…and the gore, while not as bloody as one would think, isn’t the eye-catcher.

Here…that’s all attributed to the careful planning, strategic implementation and sadistic surgical strike of the team. This is pure action and it’s sinister to the core. The only drawback is that it’s a bit dragging and the last couple issues have focused on the prison arc a bit too much…we need the money shot now! It’s going to be a bumpy ride watching these guys exact revenge and execute their mission. (8/10)

Skeleton Key One-shot –Andi Watson draws and scribes one of Dark Horse’s Tim Burton-esque stories. It’s Nightmare Before Christmas in tone yet a light, cheery feel. It’s a stark contrast to the dark tone that the book initially set out to dictate and if you’re up for cartoony fun…then by all means, have at thee…but if you want a more serious and full-blooded horror, it may not be your cup of tea. That said…it was worth a few smiles. (7/10)

Epic Kill #1 –If you throw in the calculated murderous intent of Nemesis, add in some sprinkles of The Fugitive by Ford, and toss the topping known as Fox…aka Angie Jolie…from Wanted…this is what you’d get. It’s an amnesiac killer who slowly regains her memory and with superhuman/Daredevil-like abilities (and a mentor akin to Stick) she sets off the kill the president of the USA. Hey…there’s some Evelyn Salt in there too as well as Armor/Hisako and that little naughty Elektra. Wow…I sound like a comic perv but it isn’t my fault that author/artist Raff Ienco draws these parallels. It also isn’t my fault that this issue read just like anyone of the previous characters I mentioned. There is a lack of originality here and something devoid of creativity is hard to stomach. Swallowing and guzzling this book isn’t terrible…it’s a fun read…but it gets a bit overbearing seeing these kinds of plots thicken. (6/10)

Vescell #7 –Enrique Carrion is just about as maniacal and lewd as a scriptwriter can be…in comics. I swear he outdoes Millar at time as he likes to hinge violence on sex…sometimes, a bit too much. John Upchurch helps alleviate the awkwardness with his spunky art and if you want action, science and magic cross-bred, this is the book for you. It’s got morally bankrupt and offensive ingredients for bright imaginative minds, but for me…stuff just gets too cohesive at times. (5/10)

Mind the Gap #1 –It's a pleasure reading this in the Caribbean and thinking how exhilarating and intriguing this book is shaping up. I love the enigmatic feel and the sincere cryptic panels done by Rodin. I've loved his Morning Glories covers and Sonia Oback has lit up my coloring taste since her X-Force days. This is one of my new favourite books...as I'm new to Jim McCann but...I'm liking this. There's a raw mystery where everyone is a suspect and it's like 'Clue' but with some exquisite art and intricate storytelling...I cannot wait for the twists and turns. Seems like an emotional rollercoaster and there's a lyrical savant in Jim's taste for music…I just love Blind Melon!!Looks like Jim's got my pocket change for the duration of this series! There’s a lot of material here and solving the mysterious attack on E as she views from the astral plane is purely wicked and fun. I love this concept and am eager for more!

Smallville season 11 - #1-3

Bryan Q. Miller scripted a lot on the series and he did well on recent Batgirl books. The first issue was a bet slow and drawn out but there a lot of nods here that reek of Superman lore. Having Clark forge his romance with Lois sans wedding while Lex Luthor plots the demise of the Kryptonian is fun as we see elements such as Chloe, Oliver Queen and Sam Lane used to great effect. It picks up where the series left off and adds more gusto with the art and Pere Perez. If you loved the show like me, then you’d dig this…hands down! (8/10)